Chapter 17: Qin Feng, that vile scoundrel—everyone has the right to kill him!

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Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Old Zhu and his son Zhu Biao rarely found a moment to talk until the hour of the Rooster.
Old Zhu gazed at the world map painted by Qin Feng on the table and exclaimed in surprise, “You say this was painted by Qin Feng?”
“Father, the first lesson Mr. Qin gave us was exactly about this map.”
Old Zhu thought silently: If the map he drew is flawless, wouldn’t that prove he is truly a man from the future?
“What else did Qin Feng teach you in class?”
“Mr. Qin said that the foremost task for our Ming dynasty is to build shipyards and train a navy! Once our navy is well-trained and large ships are built, we can sail to these unexplored lands.”
“These lands are abundant not only in mineral resources but also in plentiful grains, fruits, and vegetables. If we can introduce these foods into Ming, our people will no longer suffer from hunger.”
Old Zhu took a deep breath.
He never expected that Qin Feng’s arrival would set the direction for the Ming dynasty’s century-long strategic plans.
Such a magnificent blueprint—besides Qin Feng being from the future—Old Zhu could think of no other reasonable explanation.
Looking at the distance between Ming and those two continents on the map, Old Zhu suddenly felt uneasy.
“The sea route is so far; I fear by the time the grains and fruits are transported, they’ll have rotted aboard the ships.”
Zhu Biao panicked, “Father... I have not thought this through.”
Old Zhu said, “Biao’er, are you afraid of me?”
Zhu Biao looked at Old Zhu in astonishment and shook his head repeatedly, “Father only wishes the best for me; I dare not complain.”
Now, Old Zhu finally understood why Qin Feng said Zhu Biao’s early death was partly because of him.
Zhu Biao always spoke before him with trembling caution, always anxious and fearful, living in constant dread. No wonder such pressure could lead to illness.
Old Zhu forced a faint smile and said to Zhu Biao, “From now on, I’ll try to speak to you with a smile. We are father and son; we don’t need to stick so rigidly to formalities like before.”
Zhu Biao was stunned.
What’s gotten into Father today? He seems like a different man.
“Outwardly, we are sovereign and subject; behind closed doors, we are father and son. There’s no need to worry about saying the wrong thing. Whatever you have to say, say it. I won’t reproach you anymore.”
Zhu Biao was dumbfounded.
He hurriedly knelt, trembling, “Father, have I done something wrong to displease you? Please tell me, and I will change.”
Old Zhu nearly lost his mind.
He only wanted to be kinder to Zhu Biao.
Whenever he thought about Qin Feng’s warning that Zhu Biao would die young, he felt a deep sense of guilt.
All these years, he had raised Zhu Biao as his heir with great expectations.
Yet when someone told him Zhu Biao would soon pass away, as a father, Old Zhu no longer wanted to be harsh with him. He only wished for Zhu Biao to live well.
Helping Zhu Biao to his feet, Old Zhu patted his shoulder, “Biao’er, I was too strict with you before. I won’t be so harsh anymore.”
“Father, do you mean you won’t discipline me anymore?”
“That’s right. From now on, I won’t control you.”

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Old Zhu silently added in his heart: As long as you live well, that’s enough.
Suddenly, Zhu Biao collapsed onto the ground, staring vacantly at Old Zhu’s retreating figure.
So Father is truly giving up on me?
Does he no longer want to groom me as the crown prince?
“From now on, let Qin Feng discipline you!”
Zhu Biao suddenly looked up, eyes bright with hope, “Father means to use Mr. Qin’s methods to educate me?”
Old Zhu nodded, “Qin Feng may be eccentric, but he is always measured in his actions.”
Just then, Wang Jinghong burst into the palace in a panic.
“Your Majesty... Your Majesty, something terrible has happened—Qin Feng...”
Old Zhu’s face tightened. He hurriedly asked, “What about Qin Feng? Is some official causing trouble for him again?”
Wang Jinghong shook his head, out of breath, “Qin Feng... he set fire to Shanglin Garden!”
Old Zhu and Zhu Biao: “...”
...
Near Shanglin Garden.
Several hundred men dressed in black lay hidden in the grass, ready to strike.
These were assassins sent by Hu Weiyong, intent on killing Qin Feng.
Each was fierce and ruthless, hardened criminals who had taken multiple lives—all imperial fugitives!
“Lord Hu commands: when you see a man named Qin Feng, no questions asked—kill him on the spot.”
“Boss, we’ve never seen this man before. How do we recognize him? What if we kill the wrong person? Lord Hu won’t be pleased.”
“When you see the most obnoxious and arrogant guy in the crowd, that’s the Qin Feng dog traitor! Got it?”
“Even if we kill the wrong man, so what? We’ve killed plenty of people before. What’s one or two more?”
“Lord Hu pays well. Everyone, do your best!”
The leader of the black-clad men brandished a steel blade, glaring grimly at his comrades.
At that moment, a commotion came from Shanglin Garden.
“Boss, someone’s lighting fires in the hills! Could they have discovered us?”
“Fools! Let them burn their hills. When people come, kill them all!”
Suddenly, someone whistled while passing through the grass.
“Boss, someone’s coming! Whistling at night like that, it must be the Qin Feng dog traitor!”
The black-clad leader sneered, “Taking money and doing dirty work for others! Brothers, attack!”
The black-clad men sprang out like mushrooms after rain.
They brandished steel blades, faces masked, shouting, “Qin Feng dog traitor, prepare to die!”
But just then, countless armored soldiers appeared around them.
The troops were numerous, and the two sides stared each other down in silence.

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Under the firelight, the standoff was painfully awkward.
The steel blades of the black-clad men hovered midair, as if time itself had frozen.
The leader reacted quickly, bowing and saying, “Gentlemen of the army, pardon our intrusion. We take our leave!”
With that, he tried to flee.
But the well-trained foot soldiers were no joke; in moments, they subdued the hundreds of black-clad men.
These accidental intruders had likely long coveted Shanglin Garden and the imperial park.
“Take them to see Grand Tutor Qin!”
As the black-clad men were escorted before Qin Feng, Zhou Huang snorted, “Grand Tutor Qin, we just caught these bandits nearby. They seem to be looking to cause you trouble.”
Qin Feng was calmly eating an egg pancake in his office, frowning, “Cause me trouble? Could it be Chancellor Hu sent you to assassinate me?”
The black-clad men all looked terrified.
We didn’t say anything! How did he see through us?
Where did we slip up?
The leader growled, “Qin Feng dog traitor, everyone must kill him! We were just... just—”
“Going with the flow!”
“Exactly, just going with the flow!”
Qin Feng was almost speechless.
If you want to assassinate me, at least send someone smart, won’t you?
He asked, “Since you’re all doomed anyway, why not come farm the land with me?”
“Farm? Hah, farming is impossible! We’ll never farm in this lifetime! We can only survive by robbing and killing.”
“How much did Chancellor Hu pay you to come kill me? I’ll pay double if you stay and farm.”
“Hah! Farming is impossible! I’d rather die than farm!”
But several black-clad men were inexplicably tempted.
“Sir, if you really pay double, we’d be willing to stay and farm for you!”
“What are you doing? Selling out for such a paltry sum? You have no honor left?”
“Boss, it’s not that we don’t want to die with you, it’s just the official pays too well.”
Qin Feng smiled, “Anyone willing to stay, step forward now—no latecomers! Those who stay will eat well and get paid!”
The black-clad men stood up excitedly, shouting in unison, “We’re willing to stay!”
The leader scoffed, then stepped to Qin Feng’s table and knelt with a thud.
“Master, do you still see hope for me?”